“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford” Samuel Johnson
Short read: Secret places and hidden interiors…
Long read: “If you want to know London better, if you want to learn some things about the world’s most cosmopolitan city that most people who spend their lives there never learn, I can think of no better investment than London Walks.” The New York Times could have been describing this walk. It teems with quirkiness, odd places and passing strange things and people. We start with the verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways of a mini-Eden that doubles as the largest civil engineering project to ever come London’s way.
We meet the lady the early twentieth-century public would have plumped for as the first woman Prime Minister. She might be our hostess. And meeting her, well, the parade – the extravaganza – is well underway. There’s the Santa Maria, Columbus all eagle-eyed. There’s the neo-Gothic mansion built by William Waldorf Astor as a home and an office to impress. And it does. There’s a putto putzing about with a 1920s candlestick design phone.
The Astor mansion – there’s nothing else remotely like it in London – will be open after the walk because it’s hosting the exhibition; “The Glass Heart Art.” It’s a rare opening for one of the most extraordinary interiors in London. So – nudge, nudge – catch it while you can. Thinking ahead to après walk, well, you’re spoiled for choice because when we part company with the Astor abode (and the Santa Maria, ships passing in a dreamscape) some fancy footwork waltzes us by a gem of an 18th-century pub, the Edgar Wallace. Yes, that Edgar Wallace, the prolific writer of crime novels. Inside, wave upon wave of… well, you’ll see.
Famed for its traditional fayre, the Wallace is well worth visiting for a pint after the walk. On your way back to the Astor palazzo! Ok, that’s how the walk starts. No end of razzmatazz. And that’s how it continues. Lives up to its name – Unexpected London – every step of the way.
Coda read: hidden palaces, the hotel where George Orwell worked, an abandoned Tube Station, a flying guinea pig, two island churches, the Great Cham, oranges and lemons, bomb damage, “the first street in Europe,” the apotheosis of black cats, an arrow shower of great history. Well, you get the idea. What’s not to like? And come cold weather– hey, all those sheltering, hidden interiors – say hello to the parfait
London Walk! Guided by Alison
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
“If this were a golf tournament every name on the Leader Board would be a London Walks guide”
UNEXPECTED LONDON – THE PRACTICALS
The meeting point is just outside the exit of TempleTube. N.B. the Unexpected London walk ends in Embankment Gardens, right next to Embankment Tube.
LONDON WALKS SOUPÇON
“The implications of this are as disturbing as Einstein’s second law of relativity. The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a quiet little late Gothic building, almost as black as it would be in Newcastle. Rearing above it is the glazed white backside of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Neither part is memorable but the tension between them is. And the tension not only comes by accident but depends on it. Only a sadist would design this kind of affront, yet the affront is the essence of the place: and the final effect is not disgust but compassion for the tired old animal down below.” Ian Nairn
Penny Ham –
My friends and I were amazed by the interesting sights, facts and fun information given by Alison in a couple of hours. Her voice was clear and her manner was warm. Highly recommended.
Thank you Penny
John Morton –
I really enjoyed this walk. Alison brought life to what the uniformed spectator would be an inanimate buildings or object. Alison was engaging, informative and open to questions ( of which I had many). I recommend this walk to anybody curious about London and its rich history.
Patricia Rayner –
I have been on two walks with Alison and it’s 2 hours packed with Information and interesting sights! She speaks clearly, communicates well and is just fun to hear her !
Alan Barton –
A well named tour, hearing facts that you’re unlikely to have heard about before. Alison is a very accomplished tour guide, speaking clearly, engaging the crowd, and able to be heard even with a large crowd. Any questions received, she would repeat the question to ensure everyone knew what she was responding to.
Jane –
This was a very interesting walk which revealed genuinely unexpected parts of London and was lots of fun too. Alison is an excellent tour. I would highly recommend this tour.
Gael –
Alison is a fabulous guide. I learnt so much and really enjoyed her engaging style with stories and humour.
I 100% recommend a tour with her and I will be going again.
Graham Weemes –
Alison was a fantastic guide. She showed us places that I’ve walked past a 100 times and never noticed them or known their interesting history. She explained places and statues in such a way that it was easy to imagine being there during the period she was describing. Highly recommended.
Judy Sutton –
What a very enjoyable and fun way to spend a Friday morning. Alison is a fabulous story teller and really brought to life London’s history and its people. Thank you! We can’t wait to book the next tour.
Luna Rupchand –
I was inspired, by a previous tour through Chiswick guided by Alison, to signed up for ‘Unexpected London’.
Alison’s knowledge of historical events; the people who lived in the area and their contributions to society was excellent. It was a fascinating and engaging way of spend two hours learning about ‘Unexpected London’. Highly recommended.
Clare Maloney –
Having lived in London for most of my life, I did not expect to see or learn about so many places all within a two hour walking session. So truly, it was an “Unexpected” treat. Alison is very knowledgeable and pointed out some really interesting history, showed us statues, explained why they were there and gave us delightful details about the people involved.
Thanks Alison.